Nothing better on a nice warm day, than to ride home from work and crack open a cold ale. I had two in the frig that I’d never tried before, so I was anticipating a tasty treat while I cooked dinner.
Pretty feeble head, white and insubstantial – you’d have to pour it carelessly to get anything to really sit for more than a moment. A bit of a shame, because it would have contrasted beautifully with the rich clear amber colour in the glass. Lovely smell at first – a release of sweet herbs hits your nose as you raise the glass. Then there’s the taste…
…ahh – where is the taste? Ok, it’s not that bad, but it’s not what I expect from a pale ale. There’s a hint of citrus, but it’s pretty well lost in a haze of other minor flavours. What you end up with is a good consumer beer. Not that this is a bad thing, it’s just not what I was expecting. A little puzzled, I went to the Matilda Bay website to see what they said about their beer.
They characterise Fat Yak as “easy drinking craft beer in the traditional North American pale ale style”. Well, that explains a lot, I find American brews tend to lack flavour – or at least lack the conviction to let a flavour really blow out. Trouble is, they end up being safe rather than memorable.
The bare facts:
MATILDA BAY GARAGE
Unit 2/132-142 Bangholme Rd
Dandenong South, Victoria 3175
www.matildabay.com.au
By the way guys – flash based websites are soooo 2005!